One Last Move
by Benzy2003
Summary: In a desperate move to end the Solano case, Paige enlists the help of someone from Briggs' past to push him to catch Sid. The sooner its all over, the sooner Paige and Mike can move on... together or apart.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi all! I made some edits to the first chapter because I realized it was a bit wordy and didn't leave much room for Pike. I would also like everyone to know that I am a big Pike shipper. But I do like the struggle they are going through... hopefully it will bring them closer together! Enjoy!**

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><p>CHAPTER 1<p>

Paige is done. So much has happened and then this. A glimmer of hope illuminated her when she got the call saying that they found Lina. The kind of hope she hasn't felt in a long time. Especially since Mike has been back at the house. But that hope was gone after Paige confirmed a truth that she didn't want to believe. Lina is dead. There is no doubt in her mind now. Lina's poor sister felt about as lost as Paige has. But now Paige realized she can't do it anymore. Irina has to go back home and live her life and Paige has to do the same.

Paige is reminded of that bad feeling everyone had in the pit of their stomachs when Mike said he was now the one in charge. That feeling turned out to be all too accurate. Everything has gone to complete shit. The people, the relationships, the entire house. Everyone is so caught up in themselves and their own problems that they can't even have a conversation with one another, let alone work together towards a common goal.

Paige's emotions have plummeted down one deep valley without any sign of them climbing back up anytime soon. This case consumed her and, now, she has to let go. Let go of the case, of Lina. Of Mike.

How could one person go from creating so much pleasure in her life to so much pain? Is there any way they can go back now? Do either of them want to go back to the way it was before they lost themselves in the case?

Coming to these frustrated questions without any real answers, Paige gets up from her bedroom desk with a purpose. She makes her way downstairs to find Mike at the dining room table, looking discouraged and overworked as usual. Defeat evident in both of their eyes.

"This case has to be over and you have to leave this house. Now. For good."

"One thing at a time Agent Arkin." Of course Mike wants this case to end too. Probably more so than anyone in the house. "How exactly would you like to just wrap this case up with a nice little bow? Because all of the bows that I've been putting on it have been completely unraveled by everyone. Especially you."

"We still have Briggs in play with Sid. We just need to give him a push. Catch Sid in the act, now." Paige says with the same anger Mike displays.

"No shit. Except Briggs isn't in my back pocket like he is in yours. So I get to wait until he acts on something when it's convenient for him. You got what you wanted. So now what? Are you just coming here to tell me what I already know my job is or do you actually have something constructive to add?" Mike was feeling like he was in quicksand. Everyone wanted this case to be over but all anyone did was find ways to screw everything up. He needs their help.

"Have you ever cared about someone so much that you don't exactly think logically when it came to keeping them safe?"

The blind fury Mike felt when he found out Paige was missing. The time he went to get her out of the facility without any protection or back up. The time where he hit himself in the head with a tire iron so she didn't have to feel the pain of knowing Lina was gone (and maybe a little so she didn't blame him for it). "I have."

"Well Briggs has someone like that. And just as badly as Briggs wants to keep her safe, she wants to make his life a living hell."

"What are you talking about? Who is this mystery person and why would she help us?" Mike feels like he's getting played. Again. But he's also a little desperate.

"Someone from Briggs past. That's all you need to know right now. I'm going to meet with her today and see what would be the best way for her to help us. As captain of this ship, I just thought you should know what was going on."

"Well that's a first. Keeping me in the loop. I guess better late than never. And I'm going with you to meet her."

Paige thought Mike would have better things to do than to baby sit her, but I guess trust is a bit sparse between the two these days. "That's not a good idea. I'd prefer that it didn't get around that I went to talk to her. Going behind Briggs' back is already a difficult move... hopefully when this is all over he'll understand where I was coming from."

Paige is starting to realize just how south this could all go, but how badly she wanted to shut down the Solano cartel. So badly that she's willing to, not only go behind the back of someone she considers a friend and a mentor, but to exploit his weaknesses.

"I get it. But I'm still coming with you."

Not willing to fight anymore and dreading the awkward car ride, Paige concedes. "We leave at noon."

As Paige walks away, "Willing to go behind Briggs' back after he just helped you… you must really want me out of Graceland."

It sounded a little too real when he said it.


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2

Paige and Mike leave the house at noon. The car ride is silent until Paige interjects some passive aggressive small talk. "Heard you got a new computer. FBI just loves throwing good stuff your way, huh?"

"Yeah. That's the reason."

"Were here," Paige announces a few moments later. They pull up to a rundown apartment building. The only redeeming quality of the place is that it's about 3 blocks from the beach.

The reality of this situation is starting to hit Paige as she hesitantly knocks on the door. Is this a mistake? Is her plan going to work?

A few moments pass without an answer. Mike gives Paige a questioning look as he grows more impatient. Paige knocks on the door again, but this time, as if she's doing a raid on the place. She knows the mystery woman is inside.

"I can't wait here all day…" Mike says moments before they hear the click of the deadbolt.

A faint but warm smile spreads across Paige's face when they are greeted at the door. "Paige! It's been too long, girl." The girls greet each other with a hug. "You couldn't let me sleep a few more hours?"

"It's past noon, Simone. But I thought you might say something like that. That's why I come bearing gifts…" Paige motions to Mike to hand over the coffee and donuts.

"Some things never change. Come on in. So is this a new boy toy of yours?" Simone asks as she gives Mike the once over. Paige definitely knows how to pick em.

Mike is silent while entering the apartment. Still taking in the mystery women, whom he now knows as Simone. An early 20 something crossover between a model and a beach bum. Someone him and Johnny would definitely give a few stares to on the beach. She's obviously just woke up, clad in an oversized tshirt and barely there shorts.

The comfort level between the two girls is interesting. For how seriously Paige spoke about the choice to approach Simone, they were acting like old college roommates.

"Actually, this is Agent Mike Warren, FBI." Paige introduces the two as they find some space on Simone's couch.

"Ah. Another bureau boy. You know I love seeing you Paige, but I have a feeling you didn't just come here to kick it like old times."

"You're right. And you've been right all these years. I know it's been awhile and you look like you're doing well. But Briggs knows more than he's told you about… that night." Simone tenses at Paige's words. "And I promise you will get that information if you just help us on this case."

"Does Paul know you're here?"

"No."

Mike is genuinely bewildered, yet intrigued by this exchange. He doesn't know if Paige is lying or telling the truth. He still doesn't have any clue to how Simone could be so important to Briggs.

"Wow. You must really be desperate. I don't know if I believe you or if I just don't want to believe you." It's been a long time since Simone was in Briggs' life. They shared a lot of pain together and Simone knew Briggs held back the information she desperately wanted. He said it was for her own good.

"I promise I would never put you in any harm. We just need you around to give Briggs some… inspiration."

"Should I trust her Agent Warren?" Simone addresses the puzzled look on Mike's face.

"There's only one way to find out."

"Ah, he speaks! For a minute there I thought the bureau just hired you for your pretty face and donut delivery abilities." Paige smirks at Simone's sass. "Do you trust her Agent Warren?"

Paige cuts off whatever answer Mike was about to give, "Simone, believe me. I will get you what you want if you just come to the house tonight. When Briggs finds out you've been talking to me, let alone Mike, the wheels will start to turn quicker than you think." Paige pleads with Simone. The pieces of the puzzle might not all be in place yet, but they will be.

Simone looks at Mike, "Don't let this one get away Agent Warren. Clearly she's too smart for her own good. She's able to describe her master plan without ever using the operative word: blackmail. I don't know that I'm entirely convinced yet. But you've peaked my interest enough for me to stop by tonight."

Paige and Mike make their way out of Simone's apartment. Mike walks down the stairs first, giving Simone and Paige a moment alone.

"You two have seen each other naked haven't you?" Simone gestures over to Mike, teasing Paige.

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Oh! That good! I can't wait to hear more."

"Speaking of… I'll do my best to make sure Johnny is out of the house tonight."

"…Thank you."

Maybe the secrets Simone will add to the house will help push a few others out. Graceland can only hold so much.

**Simone's history will make more sense soon! Stay tuned!**


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3

"You should know that I do trust you." Mike breaks the silence on the car ride back to Graceland. He can see Paige's mind has been racing since they got back in the car. "I came here with you without asking any questions. If that doesn't show my trust, I don't know what will."

Paige stays silent and focused on the road as Mike continues to talk. "So who is she? I think you owe me the full story now. Clearly you need me for some aspect of your plan or you wouldn't have told me about it in the first place."

Paige is definitely the hardest person to read. Mike knows she's capable of opening up to him. She's so easily done it before.

"Do you trust me?" Mike's last ditch effort to get a reaction out of her.

Paige finally turns to look at Mike and then back at the road. "No. You lost my trust when you decided to lie to me."

"Lie to you about what?"

"Seriously, Mike?!" This part of their story needs to end. No more bullshit or questions about what happened to Lena. Paige hastily pulls the car down an abandoned alleyway and parks.

"Mike, please just tell me what happened to Lena. Me knowing can't affect the case anymore. Please, for my own sanity. If you care about me at all…" Paige pleads with Mike, trying hard to not show too much vulnerability.

Mike evaluates the consequences of telling her everything. She's right, her knowing won't affect the case. And if she reports it to the FBI, he'll deny it. Why has he kept it from her for this long? Initially it was to protect her. And himself… and the case. But now it hurts all of those things more than he could have imagined.

"You know I didn't kill her," Mike fighting back the emotions of reliving the horror of that day.

Paige closes her eyes. "Did she suffer?"

"I told Sulla I was taking her out. I promised you I would… I tried to fight him off. Everything crumbled so quickly."

Paige takes in this information. Mike still isn't giving exact details, but maybe Paige can't handle them. At least he gave her the confirmation she needed. Lena is dead. She can see that truth in Mike's eyes.

She puts the car in drive and they continue the trip back to Graceland in silence. Mike gives Paige the time to process the information he just gave her. Paige knows Sulla killed Lena, but she can't help but feel like she put a nail in Lena's coffin too.

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><p>As they walk back into Graceland, Paige has 1,000 feelings and thoughts running through her. The information Mike just gave her isn't giving her the relief she hoped it would. All it's doing to her is creating more questions.<p>

Charlie is in the living room and asks Mike to join her to discuss something. Mike and Paige lock eyes as if to say "this conversation isn't over yet," as Paige walks up the stairs to her bedroom.

The moment Paige shuts her bedroom door she wants to fall apart. She wanted Mike to tell her the truth, so now she has to handle the consequences of that decision. She takes a deep breath and attempts to focus on the task at hand. Simone is coming over in a few hours.

A few moments later, she hears a knock on her door and lets Mike know he can come in. He shuts the door behind him and sits at the end of the bed next to Paige. He doesn't say a word. They both know its Paige's turn to talk.

"So yes, I do need you…" Mike turns to look at Paige. "I think the best way to utilize Simone is if you tell Briggs that, unless he moves on Sid now, you are going to tell Simone everything he's worked so hard to keep from her."

"Great. I get to blackmail Briggs… So what's this information he's been keeping from Simone?"

"You know more than I do." He does? Did he miss something obvious about Simone? Should he know who she is already?

Mike also couldn't help but take a moment to realize that they were sitting on Paige's bed together. Their body language not as stiff as the hostile statues they have been the past few weeks. They weren't doing exactly what they used to do on Paige's bed, but at least they were sharing something.

Paige continued, "You know Lisa… the agent that died at Briggs' old house, the Estate?"

"Yes." Mike did know more than Paige does about the fire.

"Simone is Lisa's little sister."


	4. Chapter 4

**So sorry for the long delay! Life and work get in the way of all of the fun stuff. Sorry that this is a short one too but I wanted to put a little something out there. I plan on Ch. 5 being long and awesome. And I support as much PIKE as humanly possible. Enjoy!**

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><p>"Interesting." Mike was starting to understand how important Simone could be to them.<p>

"Yeah. I guess all of Lisa's family was FBI, so Simone knew what her sister did for a living. She didn't really understand what The Estate was all about, but she knew Briggs as her sister's boyfriend and that they lived together. When the fire happened, Simone went looking for answers."

"And so her and Briggs butted heads?"

"For a while they found comfort in each other. That's how we all met her. She started coming around Graceland and she kind of came into the fold of the house. FBI was lenient with her presence. At first I thought maybe FBI had a heart… but of course I was wrong."

"I'm guessing they wanted to utilize her relationship with Briggs." Mike was all too familiar with that concept.

"All it did was get Simone paranoid that Briggs was involved somehow. She became more and more obsessed, and Briggs noticed. He found out that Simone was talking to the bureau, so he pretty much burned her so he didn't have to talk. Made her out to be a crazy drug addict or something."

At this point, both agents remain on Paige's bed in deep thought. Sharing intel and strategy like two veteran agents back on another case. But that's not them… Mike attempts to bring the humanity back to the conversation. He knows Paige isn't one to just lay out the facts like any other agent. She brings a human perspective that makes her different than any one he's ever met. Mike hasn't forgotten how special Paige really is.

"So you're on Team Simone?"

"She deserved some answers. Not to be the bureau's pawn." Paige and Simone have both been on the wrong side of the FBI's mind games.

"What if Briggs was right trying to protect her? What if telling her the truth only put her in more harm?"

This struck a chord with Paige. She had to look Mike in the eyes for this one, "She's a strong girl, Mike. Who is Briggs to decide what's best for her?"

Mike takes this in without a response. Maybe Paige is right. Maybe everyone in the house thinks they know what's best for everyone else when really they need to take a minute and evaluate themselves. Or maybe this exact situation was why Graceland came together in the first place. Sometimes you need to trust that people who care about you will have your back.

"Sounds like he is someone who cares more about her than she will ever know."

After a long pause, Paige's phone vibrates. Simone lets Paige know she will be on her way soon and that she wants Johnny out of the house before she arrives. Paige stands up from the bed, needing to bring some lightness to her body after all of the serious conversation. It's game time.

"So do you remember what fun undercover was like? The kind where we could actually smile despite the lies?" Paige does her best fake smile… that she can tell is bordering creepy by the look on Mike's face.

"I'm supposed to get Johnny out of the house and you look like shit, Mike." A smirk surfaces on Paige's face when she sees the puppy dog sadness in his eyes. "Go take a shower and meet us by the fire pit when you're done. And don't forget to act like you actually enjoy being with us."

As Mike leaves the room to follow Paige's orders, he asks "Wait, why do you have to get Johnny out of the house?"

"I think tonight might be more fun for us if I accidentally forget to make Johnny leave… and we get to sit back and enjoy the show."


	5. Chapter 5

As quickly as her hand reached for the doorbell, she snapped it back when the realization of what was behind that door sunk in. _This is not a good idea, _Simone thought as she walked up to the door of Graceland. Graceland. Sounds like it would be a sanctuary from all that is bad in the world; a place where you could go and just be, peacefully. It was once that for Simone. It held a handful of really great memories. She was welcomed into a family of strangers and made to feel like maybe there was some good in the world despite the sadness that lived inside of her.

The many attempts of Briggs and the rest of the Graceland family to mend her pain could never make it go away. Her only sister was murdered. And she has no idea why. She knows Briggs knows. She has a gut feeling that he kept her close so that she wouldn't ask anyone else too many questions. Not because he cared about her. Because he cared about himself and making sure the FBI didn't get the information that they wanted.

That's where she is right now. It's all unfortunately coming back to her. The memory of her sister and the pain of Lisa's absence will never go away, but Briggs' betrayal can be avenged. She thought she could get over it, but the way her blood is boiling tells her she needs to ring that doorbell and see how this plays out.

As the sound of the doorbell filled Graceland, Paige was in the kitchen eagerly awaiting the arrival of her guest. She had a few last minute jitters about how the night could go. Even though she asked Mike if he remembered what it was like to actually have a little fun while on a case, she wasn't sure that she remembered. Paige had the idea to make Simone feel as welcomed as possible in Graceland. To try to make the house feel light and tranquil to make sure everyone was not so defensive, as they have been recently. Beer and a bonfire played a major role in that plan.

"Welcome! Come on in." Simone crossed the threshold into Graceland and looked around the open floor plan with a little bit of awe. She forgot how bad ass the house was. She was also scanning the house to see who else was on the main floor. So far it was just her and Paige.

"Let me get you a beer. I'm excited to just relax and catch up tonight… it's been a long week. Tell me what's been going on with you?" Paige keeps the conversation light as she grabs a beer for the both of them. She's also trying to keep Simone at ease since she hasn't divulged who else is in the house.

Mike was still in the shower. Jakes was out working some odds and ends on an ICE smuggling case. Charlie was in the phone room. Johnny was somewhere upstairs. And Briggs was out… doing whatever Briggs does when he's out. Maybe he was with Sid. He's kind of kept to himself these days when it comes to details. It doesn't seem like Briggs cares about what's on Mike's agenda for Sid and this case. It feels like Briggs has a different plan up his sleeve, as usual.

"Not a lot. Just trying to get my life together and be an adult for a change. I think that's what I should do, right? Living off of the money Lisa left me and surfing all day is kind of awesome too though. Problems of a twenty something beach bum…" Simone and Paige started chatting and laughing about things that didn't really matter. It was refreshing for Paige to have one night where she didn't have to think about how many lives she had to save or how many she was putting in jeopardy.

The girls were chatting over the kitchen island and packing a few things in the cooler to bring out to the beach for a bonfire. As they heard the sound of footsteps descending the stairs, they both looked over to see who those footsteps belonged to. But the footsteps stopped about halfway down the stairs as Simone's eyes locked eyes with the man standing there, shell shocked. Simone and Johnny never thought they would see each other again.

It was as if time stopped between the two of them. Both were at a loss for words, even though Simone tried hard to get some noise to come out of her mouth. Simone could see the quick transformation of Johnny's eyes from the moment he was stopped in his tracks by the sight of her. First shock, then maybe a swift memory of the good times they shared, and lastly, rage quickly over powered any happy thoughts. Before Simone could gather the courage to say something, Johnny stormed back up the stairs. Simone closed her eyes for a second before she looked over at Paige with a look of death.

"I am so sorry. I didn't even know he was up there." Paige looked like she just got her hand caught in the cookie jar.

Simone put her head in her hands. "I'm definitely going to need tequila tonight."

Paige smiles and takes one of the bottles of tequila from above the refrigerator and two shot glasses out of the cabinet. As she begins to pour a shot for the both of them (Paige needs it just as much as Simone does), they hear footsteps coming down the stairs again.

"Now the party can begin!" Mike greets the ladies with his presence. He has that post shower smoldering look about him and his hair is perfectly hand combed.

"Get the man a shot glass, Paige!" Paige listens to Simone's orders and pours a shot for Mike. They all cheers together and drink down the shots like pros.

Paige's eyes meet Mike's and she gives him a slight nod and sly smile as to say "_Thank you for being open to having a good time tonight."_

With a cooler full of beers and the bottle of tequila, the three of them make their way out to the beach to build a bonfire. As Mike does his manly duties and lights the fire, he cuts through a bit of awkward silence and (with the help of that shot of tequila) asks, "So Simone, what's the deal with you and Johnny? Paige told me nothing but I feel like it's juicy and that I need some dirt on John boy."

Paige wasn't sure Mike's question was the best way to break the ice, but they were trying to make sure Simone was open and comfortable with them. She didn't need to sense the tension and turmoil that has flooded the house since Mike was in charge. This was also Mike's attempt to relax and not think about any case work. Tonight they were on a mission to have fun.

Simone gives a look to Paige for confirmation that Mike could be trusted with this kind of gossip. With the go ahead from Paige, Simone somewhat painfully proceeds, "So… back when I used to be around Graceland a lot, Johnny was the new young guy in the house and him and I started hanging out. Then we started making out... and Briggs caught on. 'No love in Graceland' I guess applied to me too. And when Briggs confronted me about my relationship with Johnny, I completely denied it and said how dumb Johnny was and that there was no way I would ever go for him and how he was just some drop out solider who got lucky that the FBI was dumb enough to give him a job, and so on with the really mean, bad stuff. Turns out Johnny was in the hallway outside of the room where I was saying all of this to Briggs and he heard everything. Then Johnny brought some sluts over the house. Then I brought guys by… it was a lot of back and forth to see who could hurt the other more. Let's just say... I won." Simone then took a long swig straight from the bottle of tequila.

"And Johnny came down the stairs today, saw us in the kitchen and bolted back up to his room. Looks like its still a sensitive subject," Paige added to the gossip sesh just as Mike got the fire going and took a seat next to her on a log… which prompted Paige to take the tequila from Simone's hand and take a swig herself.

"Tit for tit, sassy pants. Now you have to tell me what the deal is with you two special secret agent hotties." Simone's question forced Mike to grab the tequila from Paige and take a drink too. A long drink.

Paige looks to Mike in eager anticipation of what he might actually say. "She grabbed my ass the first time I met her. Soon after that, we got drunk at The Drop one night and she understandably couldn't keep her hands off me. That's all. Nothing too out of the ordinary when it comes to me and the ladies." Mike let his cocky flag fly and Paige was stunned. Even though Paige was glad Mike lied (more or less) she didn't want him to lie quite like that. Simone couldn't wait to hear more because, by the look on Paige's face, there was definitely more to this story.

"Are you crazy? Couldn't keep my hands off of you?! Please. It was obviously the other way around."

Mike leans in toward Simone as if he was letting her in on a huge secret, "I even had a girlfriend at that time and Paige was not down with that. Forced me to break up with her." Then he loudly mouths to Simone, "_She's in love with me._" Simone's eyes light up with glee. This is the best lovers quarrel she's ever witnessed in real life.

"Did he just say I'm in love with him?!"

"Come on. You know you can't say no to all of this…" Mike holds his arms out and makes sure Paige gets a good look at him. He even flexes his arms to show off, what he referred to as, "the gun show".

Paige needs to wipe off the sly smile that unknowingly appeared on her face. She always did like cocky Mike. Maybe she needs to give him tequila more often… But she can't let him win this time. The slight panic that runs through her at the thought that Mike might actually think she is in love with him adds to her urgency.

"No, listen. Mike was all sad because some super lame girl broke up with him. I was just being a good friend who was lending a helpful hand to cheer him up." Paige turned to Mike with the biggest, sweetest smile she could muster.

"So it was only a onetime thing? Cause its not sounding like a onetime thing…" Simone interjected. She didn't feel like she was getting the full juicy story.

Paige cut Simone off. "Yep, just the once. Never again." She gave a stern glance to Mike. She wasn't looking for tipsy Mike to continue on with details of their story.

"Just that one time… but only because I've had to say no to her many advances. I'm trying to keep things professional, ya know." Mike is enjoying how amusing this is all to Simone and how uncomfortable he's making Paige. She is not used to being known as the desperate, clingy one.

"Oh, like the time you were handcuffing me and pushed yourself up against me a little closer than what I think they teach you to do at Quantico."

"Oh yeah Ms. Toweldropper." The look in Paige's eyes say only one thing: _Shit just got real_.

Just when Simone was about to inquire how Paige got the nickname "Ms. Toweldropper," she turned around to greet an eerily familiar voice.

"Well, what do we have here?" Briggs greeted the three and took a scan of situation. A few empty beer bottles and a half empty bottle of tequila that he knows he just picked up from his favorite local liquor store the other day and had not had a chance to open yet.

Briggs locked eyes with Simone.

Paige was right. Shit just got real.


	6. Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6

"Paul! How you doin stranger? It's been too long." Simone greeted Briggs like he was a cousin you only see during the holidays. They commemorate their history with a warm embrace. Despite the bad, there were still some good memories. And sometimes thinking about the lengths Briggs would go to protect Simone gave her comfort. But those warm feelings faded quickly. She still needed something from him…

"It has. It's good to see you, kid. You look good." Briggs was happy to see Simone, but there was still an uneasiness lingering between them. Briggs cared about Simone but her resemblance to Lisa unraveled a bit of darkness inside of Briggs that he learned to hide away over time. "What are you doing here?" Briggs looks to Paige more than Simone for an answer.

Paige froze for a second. Either she hasn't thought out the details of this plan or the tequila was doing what it does best. Simone stepped into save her, "We saw each other at Hector's the other day. Said it's been too long and I reminded Paige that she owes me a beer from that night at The Drop when I saved her from that super creepy hippie dude that was all over her. Thankfully, he was just my type."

Briggs's eye caught a blank, yet relaxed expression on Mike's face and nodded his way, "And you actually got this guy to kick back and unwind for the first time since he's been here. You always knew how to have a good time."

"Two hot chicks and a bottle of tequila; they obviously weren't going to have a good time without me." Who doesn't love cocky Mike?

Paige is clearly distracted by the smug look on Mike's face. _What is his deal, really?_ She thought. The list of things they've been through together is long. Really long. But Paige always held on to the hope that because they have been through so much together, they would always make it through it all together. And then her girls came into the picture and her heart didn't have room for anyone else, including Mike. He saw that and stepped aside for what he thought would be a moment that Paige needed and deserved… Paige and Mike's eyes catch each other for a second with a knowing look that a lot is going in both of their minds (even if the tequila is doing its best to stop their brains from doing anything at all). The conversation going on between Briggs and Simone catches their attention.

"So you staying out of trouble?"

"Yep. Not that hard to do when someone isn't pushing you into it." Simone's response confirms to Briggs that things will never be the same between them since the FBI forced her to look into him. "Ya know… it's getting late. I'm gonna call a cab and head home. This was fun though. Hopefully I'll see you again soon."

"I'll walk you out." The girls clean up and walk back into the house, leaving Briggs and Mike to put out the fire. Briggs gives Mikes a stern look of judgment and walks back into the house, hoping that Mike isn't up to something. One day Briggs trusts Mike with his life and the next he sees him as an enemy.

Paige waits with Simone while the cab pulls up. "Just let me know what you need from me. I'm in." Paige can see the hurt and determination in Simone's eyes as she agrees to the plan. It's on. Paige hugs Simone goodbye and heads back into the house.

Briggs waits for Paige in the kitchen, while Mike calls it a night and heads up to his room. "So was catching up with an old friend like Simone as fun as you thought it would be? Didn't think to mention all of this to me earlier? I had to find out from a frantic, love sick Johnny – which is not something I'm interested in dealing with by the way."

"It was nice to see her. We were just catching up. That being said, you really need to know that it's in all of our best interests if you get Sid sooner rather than later." Paige cut to the chase. Her words weren't meant to threaten Briggs, but she was done with the passive aggressive ways of the house. The message had to be clear without being combative.

"You have no idea, Paige."

Paige takes in Briggs' words and makes her way up to her room. She sees the light on in Mike's room but walks past the door. Part of her wanted to see what his thoughts were on the night and Simone. Part of her wanted to see if he his sass was still there to entertain her. Tonight she caught a glimpse of the fun her and Mike used to have. How there was a certain, unexplainable level of openness and trust between them that made it so easy for them to communicate with each other without saying anything at all. And how as hard as she fought it, he could still put a smirk on her face.

_Shit._

And with that, Paige knocked on Mike's door.


	7. Chapter 7

**I'm so bummed and sorry that its taken me so long to finish this chapter. But in celebration of today's Season 3 announcement (YAYAYA!) and Serinda on Chicago Fire, I had to get this published. Enjoy and I hope to have more soon!**

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><p><em>What did I just do?<em>

Paige attempted to scurry away from Mike's door after her knock. She technically didn't need to talk to him tonight. The only benefit was that everything might be fresh in his mind. But a briefing tomorrow morning wouldn't have made much of a difference. She was still mad at him. She needed to remember that. One night of not fighting doesn't erase the last few weeks. But he was also her teammate on this mission. Saying he was her "partner" in this was a little too much for her to admit. But they were clearly on the same side and needed mutual cooperation to achieve their mutual goal. _This is just an op briefing between agents._ As much as Paige tried to rationalize why she knocked on Mike's door in the first place, her body was still in flight mode.

Paige halted her scurrying when she heard Mike's doorknob turn. Only a few baby steps away from him, she turned back towards the door to meet his gaze.

"You lookin for me?"

Paige stepped closer to him so their voices wouldn't permeate through the hallway, in case anyone was listening.

"Just uh, wanted to see if you had any thoughts on how things went tonight."

"I had a great time."

She was surprised by Mike's loud and curt answer. Was he playing dumb or was he that drunk? Then Paige saw Mike nod to his right and she noticed that Johnny's bedroom door was slightly ajar.

"Glad to hear it. But uh, don't get used to it. We wouldn't want you to actually enjoy your time here at Graceland."

Paige attempted to make her usual snide tone evident incase Johnny, or anyone else, was actually listening. Instead, she just made things more awkward. Especially with the addition of that awkward smile she gave Mike as she made her way back to her bedroom.

Feeling a bit defeated, Paige closed her bedroom door behind her and sighed deeply, thankful that the night was finally over. But adding one more secret to the bunch began to weigh on her. Although she had Mike to confide in when it came to Simone, the constant feeling like she needs to watch her back continued. This case and this house had a way of making her feel more alone among a crowd.

She begins to unwind in her room when her bedroom door abruptly opens and shuts. In an instant, she is no longer alone.

"Sorry, Johnny finally shut his door so I came by incase you still wanted to talk. I've gathered that he was someone who didn't need to hear more about our new favorite girl."

Mike, in his baggy sweatpants and perfectly fitting t-shirt (not too snug, not too loose), stealthily made his way into Paige's bedroom. Paige wasn't 100% sure where to begin.

"Um yeah. Yeah, good idea. I um, just, ya know, was wondering if, uh, you had any thoughts on… anything."

"Is, um, that, um, all, um?" Mike mimicked Paige's obvious nervous awkwardness. She was usually all bad ass all the time. This was new. "Take a deep breath and try another pass at that sentence you just attempted to say to me." That smirk on Mike's face snapped Paige back into bad ass mode, even though he knew he still had a little sway over her.

She took Mike's advice and took a deep breath. "How do you think things went tonight? Is Simone going to be the asset we need?" Back to business.

"I do. But I don't think she will produce results as quickly as you thought. Briggs already thinks you're up to something and he will do everything in his power to not be at the shit end of this."

Mike was right. If Simone is going to be of any help to them, they needed to raise the stakes. Paige takes an exhausted seat on the edge of her bed and wipes her hands over her face in an attempt to clear the stress that quickly mounted at Mike's words. Nothing was easy in Graceland, Paige isn't sure why she thought this would be any different.

The constant struggle within Paige was clear to Mike. He knew her. But he didn't always know how to help. In this moment he wasn't sure what he should be to her: a fellow agent, a friend, or someone who has shared more with her than anyone else in the house.

Mike tries to ease Paige's tensions by doing the only thing he knows best: being a damn good FBI agent. Paige and Mike brainstorm how to get Simone to put fuel on the fire.

"What if I just casually bring Simone to Briggs' LAPD office? Say she has some info on a case for them?"

"That's good… You know that's putting you in the line of fire though. Briggs will likely never trust you again. You're really willing to give that up to end this case?" Mike wasn't sure how he wanted Paige to answer. Briggs was family to Paige. If she was willing to give all of that up just to see Mike end the case and leave the house… that was a tough pill to swallow. A slight panic crept up on Mike.

"We can work out the details later. I think I need to get to bed now."

As Mike was about to check the door to make sure the coast was clear for him to go back to his room, he felt like he needed to leave Paige with one last consideration: "Take your time with this. Whatever you think ending this case is going to solve, whatever you think you can erase with me out of the house… I don't know…" He didn't know. He didn't know what she was really feeling because she wouldn't talk to him. He wanted to help her. Let her scream, cry, whatever she needed to do to feel what she needed to feel. But he didn't know how to open up that vault. "Just make sure the risk is worth the reward."

Just as Mike was about to make a dramatic exit, he was forced to scurry back into Paige's room and quickly shut the door behind him.

"I'm over this shit Paul. You have to tell me what's going on!" Charlie and Briggs were having another one of their not so secret fights about keeping secrets.

Mike thought the coast was clear when he heard their door shut… until, "Charlie. Let me in right now. We need to talk. I will stay in this hallway all night until you let me in."

Mike and Paige looked at each other with an _uh oh _expression. Mike looks around the room awkwardly. "I guess it's not a big deal if he sees me leaving your room… late at night. He'll probably just think that the tequila did its job and… ya know." Mike attempts to give a sexy come hither look.

Paige holds back a smile at Mike's effort to lighten the mood. "No. He won't. He'll know we are plotting his demise." Paige throws a pillow and an extra blanket on the floor. "Goodnight."


End file.
